


Double Ascension

by ssa_archivist



Category: Smallville
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-12-29
Updated: 2001-12-29
Packaged: 2017-11-01 11:00:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/355907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssa_archivist/pseuds/ssa_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>True devotion requires great sacrifice.<br/>Sequel to "At Long Last, Lex!"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Double Ascension

**Author's Note:**

> This is the one that changes everything. 

## Double Ascension

by EscapeToCity

[]()

* * *

Title: DOUBLE ASCENSION  
Author: EscapeToCity  
Category: Sequel to "AT LONG LAST, LEX!" Alternate Universe, some information from episodes through Jitters thrown in for background, clarity use. Rating: NC-17  
Summary: Rise. Fly. Fall. SLASH   
Spoilers: none I can think of  
Disclaimer: NONE of these characters belong to me. I am simply painting a scene for them to play in. Peace, blessings  & praise to Warner's, DC, WB & Millar/Gough. 

Lyrics/phrases at onset of story drawn from song "Zooropa." Track 1 on album ZOOROPA; Copyright 1993, Island Records. Written & Produced by U2, Brian Eno. No copyright infringement intended. I love U2. 

I crave feedback. Please e-mail me, if you like, @ EscapeToCity@aol.com 

Best regards, 

J.B. 

* * *

And I have no compass  
And I have no map  
And I have no reasons  
No reasons to get back 

And I have no religion  
And I don't know what's what  
And I don't know the limit--  
The limit of what we've got... 

Don't worry baby  
It'll be alright  
You've got the right shoes  
To get you through the night 

It's cold outside   
Brightly lit  
Skip the subway  
Let's go to the overground 

Get your head out of the mud, baby 

Flowers in the mud, baby  
Overground... 

* * *

Clark Kent loved sausage pizza. He could eat it every day if his Mom would let him. Tonight he was enjoying deep dish from Corleone's. Extra-large of course, smothered in big, thick, juicy Mozzarella, Provolone, Parmesan, Marinara, and pig. Clark always ate so fucking much.  
This evening he was ravenous. He'd already downed a dozen cheese sticks. Two gallons of iced tea. And now he was moving on to the greasy, dreamy Super Sausage Supreme Pizza. 

Lex Luthor just stared at his beautifully gluttonous lover. Eyes fixed on Clark's mouth. Chewy goodness. Big lips covered with sauce. Hungry. 

Damn, he's beautiful.   
Clark gives Lex the patented "goofy" grin. Brilliant and dazzling as always. Lex can't stand Sausage Pizza. He doesn't really like pizza at all. He ate a Caesar Salad. Clark wants to feed him some pizza, though. He wants to play with his food.  
Lex is all too willing. He'd let Clark pour hot wax on him to make him happy. Anything for his Clark. 

Clark pulls a huge slice of pizza out of the cardboard box. It is still hot. Steamy. 

"Get naked, Lex. Take it all off. It's feeding time." Clark grins seductively. 

"Anything for cheese, baby...." 

Lex is nude. In a blur, so is Clark. 

Clark holds the slice in this huge hand, dangling it in the air. He takes the crust end and bites into it. Holding the remainder of the slice in his palm, he begins to lean in towards Lex. 

Lex closes his eyes and opens his mouth wide, moaning. He feels the tip of the slice enter his mouth. It tastes wonderful. Especially since he doesn't even like Sausage Pizza. He feels as Clark eats his portion, moving closer and closer. 

Clark moves slowly. Chewing but by bit, savoring the taste of pizza and the ever-closer scent of sexy Lexy. 

Lex is so hard and anxious he wants Clark to speed up. Clark starts to rub Lex's beautiful baldness, massaging his scalp and the back of his neck. All the while chewing towards Lex. 

Lex begins to chew faster. The slice is nearly gone. He can feel the vibrations from Clark's lips, his tongue. One huge piece of sausage lies between them. They bite into it in unison. Then only the taste of each other. Clark finishes the remainder of the pizza lingering in Lex's mouth. Lex is lost in this, as Clark rolls his tongue over every inch of Lex's...searching his gums, teeth, the back of his throat for any trace of sauce. 

Lex moans, Clark grabbing, stroking his cock. Clark leaning over and spitting down, lubricating both himself and Lex, warm saliva...yummy sausage... 

Lex opens his eyes to find Clark shifting under him. His eyes, pleading. His body touched by a light sweat. Hard as a rock. Foot-long masterpiece on private display. Just for Lex. 

"Please....inside...umm....Lex...please...Oh fuck, man....now..." 

"Of course, Clark....If I could I'd be in you day and night....But first...I need to kiss that yard stick between your legs..." 

Lex falls upon Clark's cock. Takes as much of it as possible. Lex knows how to give head. Damn straight. Clark is moaning, grabbing at Lex's shoulders, beginning to pull legs back... 

Lex makes eye contact with Clark. Clark's eyes are rolling around in his head; he looks feverish and so fucking hot. Lex licks the head, rolling it around in his mouth....Clark just throws his head back... 

"I fucking love you Lex Luthor!.." Panting..."...do me...NOW!" 

Clark pulls Lex directly on top of him. It is Lex's turn to ravish his boy's mouth. He licks and bites and attacks his tongue and cheeks. He finds the hot spots on the boy's neck and goes bananas, trying to damnedest to make Clark cry in happiness. 

Which he does. Because he's got hard, bald, pizza-tinged Lex crushing him with pure, raw lust. And love, too. 

As Lex pushes inside, Clark simply smiles...breathless. Imagine if we could always stay this way, Lex? Imagine. 

Clark is adorable, getting fucked and so relaxed. The look on his face is one of ultimate meditation, ultimate contemplation, and devout sincerity. 

The Dalai Lama would be damn proud. 

Lex moved deliberately, slowly. Clark clenching around him, pulling him in far as humanly possible...Clark of course, wants him to get even deeper. But Lex knows how to make him float. 

And float they do. Clark begins to ascend. Lex, fucking him, barely notices. He's gotten used to it. Clark begins to moan. Everything is airy and wonderful and so real. Lex inside him and nothing but warm space holding them both above ground. 

As Clark gets close, they rise higher and higher. Lex is so lost in Clark's tight ass he doesn't notice he's near the ceiling. 

For the first time, Clark controls the floating. Concentrating on the bed, on lying in it, Lex holding him...wanting to be "down"....they begin to descend...although it takes a few minutes as Clark has to concentrate quite intently. They reach the bed again just as Lex floods him with seed. Clark pulls Lex as far in as possible; bald love god shuddering and moaning Clark's name. 

Clark slides down sweaty, spent Lex and licks up the cum that still leaks from Lex's cock. He then returns to Lex's gaping mouth...together they share the rich protein shake. 

"I love you, Clark."  
"I love you, Lex." 

The awesome power of the Clex. 

Lex and Clark kiss for hours. Holding. Thinking about the future. Clark mostly thinks about his new power....floating, sinking....this has to lead to....wow.....This would make what he has planned for Lionel much, much easier... 

Lex thinks about his plan to destroy LuthorCorp. 

As usual, Lex goes to sleep long before Clark. Clark worries about Lex's health. At Arkham, he had been on a rigid steroid cocktail to subdue the asthma attacks. 

Lex refused to take neither any steroids nor a prescription when he left Arkham. Clark was a little scared. He knew he could always suck the phlegm out of Lex and clear his passages but what of Lex were alone? 

This was the scariest remaining fear in his life. What happens if Lex is alone and can't breathe? 

Clark wishes he could shake this fear. But it lingers, like a shadowy dream. 

* * *

Christmas had come and gone. Two days 'till New Years. These were the best of times, that's for damn sure. Clark and Lex, at the Farm, together in their Fortress of Love. Martha and Jonathan had helped Clark to set up a bed, desk, and shelves for Lex in the barn, but it was a waste of time. Lex spent every minute with Clark. They read together. They played cards. They sat by the fireplace and held each other. 

Lex was teaching Clark to play the piano. 

Clark was teaching Lex how to build snowmen. 

The weather had finally turned seasonal. Temperatures in the twenties. About half a foot of snow on the ground. If anything, the arrival of snow and ice made everything warmer for the young lovers. Holding each other, their love and its fire could battle back the even armies of Jack Frost. 

Everyday since Lex had arrived they took a bath. There was an old copper tank basin in the barn, connected to the hot water heater. Jonathan used to use it to relax in, ease the pain of old football injuries. Now, Lex and Clark lay in it for hours. Making love. Making bubbles. Drenching each other with clean water, absolving both of them of all dark thoughts...at least the public ones. 

Martha and Jonathan were amazed at the change in Clark. He had returned to being the polite, kind, trusting son they had raised. He didn't get upset anymore, nor curse, nor raise his voice. They weren't finding kitty bones outside the barn anymore. No more porn videos stuffed under the corn trough. No more crack pipes. Candy wrappers. Condoms. 

They both exhaled giant sighs of relief. Our little boy has his boyfriend back.  
We can rest easy... 

* * *

Lex and Clark never went into town. There was no need. Martha got them any groceries they might need. They had no use for television, DVD rentals, magazines (no newsstand, ever again, thought Clark...I'll never let him see those horrible pictures, headlines). 

Since Clark was on Christmas Break until January 10th, they had days upon days just to love one another. 

Three days prior to New Years, Jon & Martha drove into Metropolis, where they planned to spend a romantic New Year's at the palatial Emerald City Hotel and Resort, the city's newest and most glamourous upscale hotel. They had left Clark and Lex alone because they trusted them. They knew Clark wouldn't let anything bad happen. They knew their son was good. 

Over lunch the day before New Years, the thirty-first of December, Clark and Lex pondered the future: 

"Clark...don't eat so fast...enjoy your food..." Laughing... 

Clark, mouth stuffed with two pieces of toast, a slice of bacon and a boiled egg, grins... 

"I can't help it Lex...." muffled but understandable..."I'm still growing." 

"I know. You're up to nearly 6'5"." 

"I'm a giant, Lex." Billion dollar boy smile. 

"You're my baby giant, Kent." Leans over table and kisses Clark on lips. 

"I'd love to go fuck in the snow, Lex. Please?" 

"Yeah...sure...as long as I get to be bitch...You keep me warmer that way...let me finish the paper first...." 

Clark notices Lex is reading the Metropolis Business Banner. 

"I thought you gave up the business junk, Lexy. I mean, it's not like you have anything left." 

Deception. Lex hates to lie to Clark. But he must protect him. 

"Oh, sometimes I just get wistful for the past, Clark. You know? On rare occasions I miss being rich and powerful. Do you understand?" 

"Yeah, sure. It's like if I was short all of the sudden...I would miss being tall." Smiles. 

Goddamn the way he loves me. Completely trusting. Cannot hurt him. 

"You were made to be tall, lover...you were made to eat more food than anyone else yet never get fat. Your body was made for fucking and loving and made to be adored by all..." 

Clark blushes. "Lex, I'm nothing special. I'm just your boyfriend. And all my body is good for is loving you. My body can't love anyone else. Not now." 

"Mine either. If I lost you--" 

"Never! Don't even think it, Lex! We've come past all that bullshit now...we're gonna soar now, baby!" 

Clark looks so hopeful.  
Lex's wishes he was.  
After April 15th...everything will be fine. 

Looks Clark straight in the eye... 

"Don't worry about losing me, Kent. My fire is alive. And stronger than ever before." 

"My fire's alive too Lex...can we go fuck now? Please....I'm so hard I'm about to pop..." 

"How romantic, babe..." Smirks. 

"You know I am the most romantic kid on the block, Lex. But I also love to fuck. Isn't that the perfect mix?" 

"Hell yeah." 

"Well?" 

Lex gets up from his side of the table, walks over to Clark and sits on his lap. Clark moans on contact. 

"Carry me outside and fuck me silly, you big giant." 

"With pleasure, Lex.....oh...man, did you ever think it would be so great?" 

"Yes, I had every thought we'd be fucking outside in the snow at your parents house on the eve of the greatest year of our lives." 

"Liar." 

"Goofy Giant." 

And so Clark carried Lex outside where on a dry patch of rich earth they came together, warm from the glow of our alien super stud and his magic. Lex so taken by Clark's body and spirit and emotional joy he never noticed it was quite literally 18 degrees Fahrenheit. 

So is the power of love... 

* * *

New Years Day. 

Lex and Clark had toasted each other with sparkling white grape juice. They then proceeded to pour the juice all over one another and spent the next three hours licking it up. 

It was so natural. They felt like nothing had ever gone wrong. Like nothing could ever change from here on out. 

The lovers finally crashed out just before dawn. 

Lex nestled into Clark's ripped chest, his hand clutching his lover's cock. Clark's arms wrapped around Lex's waist, holding him. Protection. 

Clark was not fully asleep yet.  
I'll never let you fall, Lex.  
He looked at Lex's peaceful face. No pain there anymore. The golden dome of his skull, the pearl beauty of his flawless skin. The eyelashes, the rare hair, touched by reddish gold. Lex's breathing was a little ragged. Clark used the X-ray vision trick to do the usual lung check-up. Look, Clark, those are Lex's lungs...where his life is so fragile...God, I wish I could get him new lungs. But I'm no surgeon.... Still, maybe somebody out there doesn't need theirs... Things looked OK, but not great. Fuck me, Clark thought. I shouldn't have had him out in that snow. He can't get sick. I have to keep him warm. 

Damn, Kent....stay in control. 

Poor, fragile Lexy....he has to have one hundred percent Clark. I can't play Psycho Clark...not now that he's home....he can't have me fucking around, putting him at risk. Clark trembles just a little. Control is a hard thing to maintain. 

Fuck it....I will do whatever it takes to protect Lex and my parents, and myself. 

...Clark has a little something planned. But that's better left unsaid for now. 

* * *

In Lex's dream that night, he and Clark are flying. 

...Somewhere in the Caribbean, maybe south Florida. Lex can't tell. It doesn't matter. Different places. Soft and hard. Pastels. Clark in a banana yellow thong....Margaritas....Pink sand covering their sweat soaked bodies. Then, Clark taking his hand and rising skyward over the blue sea. Maybe Montserrat... Clark and Lex in a casino; Lex winking at a navy-clad Clark. Pimped out. Gold chains. Felling each other up under the table. Boca Raton, perhaps. Golf courses. Huge, swaying coconut palms. Clark climbs the trees naked, then flies down, huge arms filled with sweet fruit. Clark stuffs Lex's mouth with a slice of mango, juice dribbling down Lex's face. Clark leans in and slowly laps it up, meeting Lex's mouth and just holding there... Pink sand...coral...maybe Bermuda...green waters... Clark and Lex on horseback, racing through coral springs...running over emerald valleys, lost in a slow mambo somewhere in Havana. Snorkeling, Clark breathing for him, the two of them diving to depths unseen by common men. Diving thousands of feet into beauty, where Mermaids hawk their wares and Lobster run schools for blind starfish. And stars, thousands and thousands, hang above their little boat. Maybe Trinidad. The soft breeze pushing them towards daylight. The purple sky opening into pink. Pink into orange. The muses smile at them.  
Lex smiles back.  
Orange into yellow.  
Flying again. The soft Latin beat pulsing around them. Mexico. More green and blue and reds. And water.... Fierce winds blow in around the flying lovers, they are tossed and thrown...across continents, parallel dimensions, time and destruction prey on them...hungry...but Clark just draws Lex into him, under him, protection...and together they ride out the tribulations of Hurricane Country... 

Their love is the strongest on earth. 

And just before Lex wakes up, the scene is lush and pink again...the storms have passed. Clark is nude and glowing, lying halfway on a hammock, tied to gently scented Eucalyptus. Smile gracing his face. The palms bow as if to say hello. Or goodbye...... 

Lex awakes and Clark is gone. 

* * *

Clark had to get out, even if it's just the fields. He has to think this out. He has to find a way to make his plan work without involving Lex. 

He really isn't as strong as he pretends. He's weaker than ever. His lungs looked OK, but not good. 

Goddamn...there was no way he would lose him now. 

Clark knew what he had to do. Phase one was already under construction, in the storm cellar. No reason for anyone to know. Especially Lex. 

He hated even the idea of deceiving Lex. But this would be something to help everyone. He'd understand why Clark had to hide it. He loved him. He'd forgive Clark anything. 

Even killing his father. 

* * *

January.  
Gone in a flash... 

Clark returned to school. Lex and Martha started working on a business plan for the farm. Lex was of great assistance to her. He knew all kinds of inventive ways for the Kents to stay in the black and still expand. 

He helped her to develop a college savings plan for Clark. He helped with many things... 

"You've only got $5,000 saved for Clark's college bills? That won't even pay for room & board at Metropolis University! And Greenmont...you're talking twenty thousand a year at least." 

"Lex, I know...but it's just been so hard the last few years. The past six months was the first time I can remember us not teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Jonathan and I have always hoped Clark could get scholarships, maybe athletic something...I mean, you know what I mean... Lex, if we let him...he' be the fastest runner on earth." 

All those unsaid "secrets" Lex knew.  
So funny how everyone knew now.  
And they protected them.  
Because they all loved Clark so much. 

"Mrs. Kent--" 

"Lex, I told you, call me Martha. You're virtually married to my son...." 

Married to Clark. Fuck, wouldn't that be perfection...Lex's mind drifts to thoughts of flowers and pink sand and honeymooning.... 

"Lex?" 

Back in the real world...."Yes...Martha...OK...if you let me take half of Clark's fund, I promise I will turn it into $10,000 by years end..." 

"Jonathan and I will have to discuss it, Lex. But I trust you. I know you will do anything to help Clark." 

"Of course I would. If I were still rich, Clark could go anywhere in the world he wanted. Anywhere." 

Martha feels bad for Lex. She realizes life without money must be a kind of torture for him. 

"Lex...are you doing OK? I mean, without the money?" 

"Sure...I just miss the cars and thousand dollar shoes and strippers...." Smirks. Martha punches him on the shoulder, playfully. 

"None of that, young man. You're holding my Clark's heart in your hands." 

"And he's holding mine, Mrs. Ke...err, Martha....he's holding mine..." 

* * *

LuthorCorp. opened its new Smallville regional headquarters in the First of Metropolis Tower on February 1st. 

Metropolis' city fathers had cussed and screamed that Lionel was trying to move thousands of jobs out of the city; and yes, he was doing just that. 

It was cheaper and easier to rob, cheat, and steal in Smallville. It was easier to pollute in Smallville. It was better to hide secrets in Smallville. 

Clark Kent was there as Lionel Luthor cut the glossy red ribbon. He growled aloud as Lionel, Dominic and the other Luthor executives toasted each other's successes. 

The First of Metropolis Tower, recently completed, had been called the Smallville Financial Centre. But First of Metropolis (FofM), sensing the growing clout of Smallville, decided to open a back-office in the city, and leased fifteen floors. LuthorCorp and FofM were the only two tenants. 

Lucky Lionel. There had been distinct talk that SocietyBank of Metropolis, lender on the tower, was just about to foreclose due to lack of leasing activity and horrific, mysterious cost overruns. 

Clark Kent, dressed in a janitor's uniform, slowly walked about the lobby of the tower. He had been here several times, of course, but this time he was planning. He had to make sure everything was perfect. 

He didn't want to hurt anyone. He wanted to make sure he knew how to turn on the life saving systems....fire, water, smoke detection. 

"I will be here on the fifteenth, Lee, to make sure all the arrangements are straight regarding the line of credit." 

"Of course, Mr. Luthor, we should have the board's approval by then." 

March 15th. Things would happen sooner than expected. 

He just wanted to gut Lionel Luthor. Make him bleed. Let him gasp the way his poor son did. 

He walked towards the golden doors for the FofM customer branch. At the far end of the bank there was a gigantic vault, filled with notes, bonds, and a little gold. Since FofM had gobbled up most local Smallville banks, it had the largest amount of deposits in in Lowell County. It also held massive amounts of LuthorCorp. Bonds and debt. 

Clark wished for a moment things were different. This really was a beautiful place. The architect, Araldo Cossutta, had based the design on an aborted plan somewhere in Texas. Dallas, perhaps? (Clark had run to Dallas once, after a fight with his parents...he'd stopped running in the shadow of a gigantic green argon-lit skyscraper and nearly had a breakdown, thinking it was meteor rocks....that was the last time he'd run that far...) Anyway...Lex had told him all about it. Anyway, the tower was red granite, nearly pink, with bronzed tinted windows....Five Hundred-sixty feet of elegance reaching towards the sky. Fountains and sculptures. It reminded Clark of Luthor Manor. The Conservatory. Lotus Court. Clark felt guilty for destroying the Picasso. Of course, now they had a Matisse sculpture out on the plaza...was everything disposable to these people? He could imagine eating steak dinner in this lobby, he and Lex decked out and all gussied up...all upscale and happy and soft lighting; dancing to slow jazz on the marvelous rooftop of the tower; the entire bejeweled Lowell Valley at their feet... 

But Clark couldn't live in dreams.  
People like Lionel would never let them live that way. 

Places Lex loved so much. Places which had defined Lex. His mother's plants. He hoped Lionel hadn't killed Lex's mother's plants. 

The bastard had probably stopped having them watered, let them shrivel and gasp and die. 

He must die too. 

* * *

February. 

Lex had gotten a little job at the Smallville Farmer's Co-operative. Jonathan had pulled every favor he knew so that Lex could work there. The memory of the party, the tabloids, Lionel's tape was still fresh in the minds of most Smallville residents. 

Jonathan Kent was a man of his word, though. Never told a lie. If he said the guy-- 

(Bald, freak pedophile...Jon....he seduced your boy, Clark! Well, Jonny never was too bright...sure could throw a ball, though...hee, hee...and that freak Clark...well, Jon sure found him on the side of the road....) 

\--Was a good accountant, we'll hire him. 

But stick him in the back. Don't want to scare the women and children. 

Lex got his first check on Valentine's Day. He got back to Kent Farms and told Clark to get dressed... 

"We're going someplace special, kiddo..." 

"Alright, Lex. I know if it's a place you like, I'll like it too..." 

Lex blushed. Almost as much as Clark always did. 

They held hands and kissed affectionately. 

Lex drove the old pickup to a tiny alley off South Locust. Clark could smell rich, appetizing food from somewhere...But he couldn't see the restaurant. Lex took his hand and led him into the alley. Then down a tiny flight of stone steps. There, on the door, was the word: L'Etoile 

"The Star, Clark...that's what they call this place....and since you're my star, you're gonna love it." 

Clark smiled and pecked Lex on the cheek. 

L' Etoile had about ten tables. Tiny kitchen in the rear. Bunches of simple flowers tastefully arranged about the place. The sidewalls were painted blue at the floor level, then turning yellow as once rose towards the ceiling; orange to purple at the trim; the ceiling was a night sky, painted with hundreds of twinkling, friendly stars. Some had faces. All were happy to see out blissful lovers. 

An attractive older lady came out from the kitchen to their table. 

"Bonjour, les enfants..." laughs heartily...."Just kidding. I know you two aren't children. You two are lovers. Only lovers come here. And how beautiful you are." 

"Great to see you, Aurora. Long time." 

"Yes, Lex Luthor, very long time. You only come here when you are happy." 

"Exactly. And I am happier now than I ever was. Aurora, I'd like you to meet Clark. He's the one." 

"Yes...I can tell...such kind eyes...strong jaw...like something from another place, another time...." 

Clark blushes; embarrassed into silence... 

"Oh, but this one has the fire, Lex Luthor...it's there...look closely...he's no boy...." 

Clark speaks, at last: 

"Oh. I'm not that fiery...I leave that stuff to Lex. But it is great to meet you, Aurora. This place is cool." 

"Cool...of course it is....you see, my restaurant is simple and I serve good food. People don't come here to be seen. They come here to see their lover. Watch them enjoy my onion soup. Which, by the way, I shall deliver in just a moment..." 

"Thank you so much, Aurora." 

"It's nothing, Mr. Luthor...oh, would you like the usual spirits?" 

"I gave it up, Aurora. No sauce for me." 

"Sacrebleu!" Laughing."..this one really is love. He has that look, Lex Luthor. He will change your life...." 

"He already has. He already has." Squeezes Clark's thigh under table. Clark just looks at him, dazed and spellbound and lost in pure delight. 

Tear in Lex's eye. This is the apex. 

* * *

February passed into March. Their love remained strong. 

Lex was at work one day when he got a strange phone call. 

"Smallville Farm Co-op Accounting office...how can I help you?" 

"Let me speak with Mr. Lex Luthor." 

"This is Lex Luthor." 

"Lex, this is Carrington Loew with the CarringtonTrust in Metropolis. How are you?" 

Carrington Loew was once a close friend. He had dropped him, like all the others, after the scandal broke. 

"I'm fine. Why are you calling me, Cary?" 

"I've got some insider information on LuthorCorp. Serious stuff, Lexy. Thought you might want to meet one day and talk about it." 

"I know everything I need to know about LuthorCorp, Loew....why are you really calling me? Did my father put you up to this?" 

Long silence. 

"No, Lex, he didn't. He doesn't even talk about you. It's as if you never were born." 

That was worse than him putting Loew up to this. Never were born. It sent sharp pains through his spine and heart. He suddenly had trouble breathing. 

"Lexy...are you there, guy?" 

Catching his breath...."Sure...look Loew....I'm sorry I accused you it's just...I don't want anything to do with LuthorCorp...OK? 

"Look, Lex...I know things have been all fucked up...but you gotta get back in the game. I couldn't believe it when they told me you were working at a fruit stand..." 

"It's not a fruit stand, Loew. It's the largest wholesale vegetable buying organization in Lowell County." 

"Fruit Stand. I stand corrected. You need to be a big player again, get back out there with the sharks." 

"I got bitten a few too many times, Cary. But listen, I appreciate this--" 

"Listen...I know about the feelers you've been putting out regarding LuthorCorp. debt...." 

Lex is shocked. 

""Don't worry...nobody knows...I only know because I have some business in Zurich and all the buzz there was about "Clark Kent", mysterious billionaire who was quietly purchasing Luthor debt. Clark is that kid's name, right?" 

"Yes." Fuck. 

"Don't worry, Lexy...I'll tell you this, though....there's things about Clark Kent that are outta this world!....you should give S.T.A.R. Labs a call; you know, they track those freaks.....I'm glad everything is still hidden. Gives me a chance to get in on some of that debt too. When this all goes public, LuthorInternational will be a gold mine; domestically it will be ruined. Your father will be destroyed. His American holdings are so leveraged they will wipe out the foreign ones. Leaving the healthy parts of LuthorCorp/LuthorInternational for the picking....fucking gorgeous, isn't it? Lexy?" 

"When are you coming to Smallville, Loew?" 

"The fifteenth, Lexy. I'm going to the LuthorCorp. Finance office to do some research. Lionel's gonna be in town, you know. He's gonna try to convince the board of FofM to let him borrow $3 billion more..." 

Lionel....indebted to hell. How hilarious. How I would love to see his face as he loses everything. I want him to know who is bringing him down. Control. 

"How about we meet that day? We certainly need to talk." 

"I agree." 

"Ten o'clock at the First Metropolis Building. The new one. On Locust and Grand." 

"I know it....$350 million dollar boondoggle." 

"Tallest building between Metropolis and Denver." Laughing. Plotting. 

He'd have to borrow Jonathan's pistol. Make sure it was loaded. 

"See you the fifteenth, Lexy." Carrington Loew hangs up. 

Lex shakes. He's never killed anyone before. But now he'd have to. Loew would fuck up everything. If he'd found out about Lex using the name "Clark Kent" to deposit funds in Zurich, how long before he traced those funds to Isabel? 

And what the hell did he mean about Clark? That was really fucking strange....And scary... 

S.T.A.R.....My God...what did they know about Clark? About us? My father gives S.T.A.R. millions in grant funds every year... 

They will cut him open. Or try to. That would kill the Kents. 

This is all too much....breathe... 

Lex had to change the game. 

And he had to get that pistol. 

* * *

Murder.  
Easier thought than carried it.  
It was making the air thin.

That night, Lex had an awful asthma attack. The worst since he left Arkham. Lex couldn't catch his breath for nearly a half hour. He began to turn blue.  
Clark, listening to his Walkman, didn't notice until he felt Lex grabbing at his t-shirt, eyes bulging, gasping like a goldfish pulled from his bowl... 

"Oh, shit...Lex....open your mouth...try, baby...try..." Gasping.  
"Here I am....I'm gonna breathe for you." Clark is calm. Lex is shaking.  
Clark lovingly, professionally, with ease and precision, leans in, holding Lex's head at the right angle so be can blow fresh oxygen into his lungs... Clark slowly inhales, then exhales to keep Lex's lungs from giving up. Lex's eyes.  
Such weariness.  
Pain.  
Clark's calm vanishes. He cries the entire time because Lex's eyes were wide open and so full of fear. Lex looked scared.  
Like something dark and awful was looking back at him. Clark concentrated and concentrated. He would be Lex's lungs, Lex's heart. Eventually Lex found sleep.  
Clark never slept. He held him tight; his ear at Lex's chest....making sure everything kept ticking. 

Clark x-rayed his lungs and saw massive scarring, striations here and there. The heart itself also was scarred.  
The asthma attacks were getting dangerous. Clark had to do something. 

* * *

He whistled as he walked the streets of Central Smallville. 

Soon, everything would truly be wrapped up. He had to clear the air for his love. 

In a few days, he was going to take the thorn out of Lex's paw forever. 

He stopped at 901 Grand Avenue and turned his gaze upwards. The tower loomed.  
Clark hated to do what he must.  
But it had to come down. 

He should have done it sooner.  
But things were so good at home.  
Lex is having trouble breathing again.  
Stress. Stress is straining his body.   
Wearing him out.  
Killing him.  
Lex can't have stress in his life.  
I must take it away. 

Maybe he could dig some of the trees up and save them. They didn't deserve to die. 

It would all happen quickly. And painlessly for all involved, save Lionel. 

* * *

Martha Kent was heartened by the grade report. Clark had made 2 'A's, 4 'B's and 1 'C." Things seemed to be settling down, completely. 

Now we just gotta get you back on the honor roll, kiddo. 

Martha was too happy about the improvement in his grades to notice Clark disappearing down into the storm cellar. 

She was too happy to notice him coming out with a strange looking assortment of wires and small boxes. Fuses and detonators. Among the items Martha & Jonathan never knew Clark stole. 

By the time she did turn around to look out into the garden, Clark was speeding at five hundred miles an hour; downtown by the time she paused to pick a daffodil. 

Clark stashed the bomb materials in a hold he had punched into the ground, just to the rear of the Garden Entrance to the First of Metropolis Tower. Clark knew no one had seen him. He was too quick even for cameras to pick up. He smiled eerily to himself. Something in him continued to say-- 

Stop Clark!  
This isn't the way! 

But Clark ignored his voice of reason.  
He listened to his passion voice.  
His guardian's song.  
His innate need to watch over Lex, no matter the cost. 

The area was crowded with workers and shoppers. Clark knew, if things worked as he hoped, there would be minimal damage to the Galleria two blocks away. City Hall and the Civic Center, the Academy of Music, the Smallville Art Collection, the Beanery, were all within three blocks of here. 

He prayed that only this tower would be destroyed. But whatever happened, happened. 

Anything for Lex. 

He punched a hole into the underground parking garage. There, on level six, he left the first surprise. Rushing up the fire stairs, he planted the second device directly behind the bank vault. Rushing to the roof, he placed the third, most powerful device just below the roof. 

The entire thing should crumble to the ground. Lionel will be here for the meeting. The bank branch is usually empty that time of morning. The arcade of shops and the sculpture garden aren't open 'till noon. 

Everything is falling into place. 

By noon tomorrow, First of Metropolis Tower will be dust. And Lionel will be crushed, pulverized underneath it. 

This is the ultimate way to show Lex I will do anything for him. I love you, baby. 

* * *

Dinner that night was special. Martha had made seven-layer lasagna. Jonathan was very tired but in good spirits. It was planting season again, and the spring had been frosty this far, endangering the young sprouts. It was supposed to warm up in the second half of March, however, so Jon looked towards the future with optimism. Lex and Clark sat next to one another, as always. They were the mirror image of the couple across from them, save fifteen years or so. 

It was a talkative and light-hearted meal. Lex and Jonathan talked politics.  
Martha helped Clark with his geometry homework. Played with his wild hair. 

Lex smiled at everyone.   
Clark smiled at everyone. 

They were a family.  
Things were finally as they ought to have been. 

The best things never last. 

That night, after Jon, Lex, and Martha had played a spirited round of Monopoly, Lex came upstairs to find Clark, already naked, sprawled on the bed, arms warm and open... 

"Come on home, baby..." 

"Anytime, Kent." 

Clark took him in as always. And the sex that night was just as tender as always. It was always so groundbreaking. Like they were always jumping off the highest peaks simply to land on another peak. There were no valleys in a love like theirs. 

Only heights. Glorious, godly, golden heights. 

After fucking and kissing and the usual joy, Lex passed out. His breathing was calm, though, and Clark sneaked away for just a second. He went to the barn door, opened it slightly (there was still a chill to the March air...) 

There, on eastern horizon, was the skyline of Central Smallville. Standing sentinel over it all was Lionel's baby, the First of Metropolis Tower. 

Glowing gold as well; the result of $200,000 decorative lights. 

After tomorrow, that beacon of hate would glow no more. Clark glanced over to sleeping, serene Lex and knew he was doing the right thing. 

Anything for my baby. 

Farewell to Lionel and his golden tower. 

* * *

The Ides began rather warm and humid. The weather should have worried everyone. It was far too soon in the year for sixty-three degree mornings. 

A warm front, the strongest of the season thus far, had pushed northward all the way from the Gulf of Mexico, warming the Midwest into early spring. 

The front had arrived overnight.  
Sometimes life happens quickly. 

But Jonathan was happy. At these temperatures, he could get much work done. Martha was glad because it meant she could go downtown and pick up the book she had ordered at Tesmacher & Co. 

Clark was glad but a tad worried. Along with warm weather came a stiff southeastern breeze. That could blow debris all over downtown....Fuck.... 

Can't stop it now... 

Lex was in an odd mood. He was very unsure of the wisdom of meeting with Carrington Loew. He had his own plan for ruining LuthorCorp. But he was worried that plan would be endangered if he didn't throw Loew off course. And if Loew wouldn't leave the game, Lex would make him. 

Jonathan hit the fields at five. 

Martha would sleep until eight this morning. 

Clark the same. 

Lex silently, stealthily moved out from under his beautiful Clark. Kissing him on the forehead. He crept down the stairs. Out of the barn. To the tool shed. There, in a locked case, under an old chicken coop, Jon & Martha kept an "emergency pistol." 

He'd stolen the key last night while Jon & Martha were fucking in the bathroom. 

He felt horrible but Loew could destroy all of them 

("there's things about Clark Kent that are outta this world ....") 

S.T.A.R. 

No one would hurt his Clark. Nor the Kents. They were the closest things he'd ever had to parents. Lex would do whatever he had to. 

Lex went back up to the hayloft. He had written Clark the note. He hid it under the telescope by the outer doors. Lex dressed quickly. Subtle black suit, sunglasses, simple. Simple. None of this was simple. But he had to think, collect himself before the meeting with Loew. 

He leaned over Clark....for once, baby...enjoy your sleep. It was the most relaxed he'd seen Clark ever sleep. Lex knew Clark stood watch over him. Once he'd woken up and caught Clark x-raying his chest.... He loved him for wanting him to be healthy. He loved him for everything. 

He kissed Clark on the lips, ever so gently. Traced those sharp, one-of-a-kind cheekbones. Ran his index finger through that lustrous hair, the shade of midnight. 

The sun was rising.  
Gun wrapped tight in his briefcase.  
Lex slipped away into the warm spring mist. Uncontrollable tears.  
Control, Luthor, Control.  
Will to power. 

The taxi picked him up a half mile down Hickory Lane. Destination: Downtown Smallville 

* * *

Martha awoke.  
Damn, it really was warm for March.  
A light fog hung over Kent Farms.  
Far in the distance there was Jon.  
He was so handsome. His frame cutting a striking pose on the open, newly planted fields.  
She was so proud to be married to such a fine male specimen.

And she was so proud to have Clark as a son. And Lex as a son as well.  
That's what he was to her, now.  
She couldn't imagine life without him.  
Of course, it was nowhere near conventional. But fuck conventional.  
Happiness is all that counts.  
Happiness and honesty. 

Never try to explain love.  
It's not like it's scientific.  
No one can define anyone else's version. And Clark & Lex....or "Clex" as Jonny calls them, are the real deal.... 

Martha needed to go to Tesmacher's, the bank, post office and the bakery. She could have it all wrapped up by one or two in the afternoon. 

Maybe she'd stop and look at a car for Clark. If the harvest this year went well, they could swing it just fine. 

She stopped to look at herself in the mirror. Still attractive. Good mother. Nice person. 

You've got it all, Martha Kent, she thinks, smiling brightly at herself. 

* * *

Clark rises, reaching blindly for Lex. 

He's gone. 

Where could he be? 

Fuck! It's eight-fifty. 

Oh, I forgot...I'm not going to school today. 

Lex was going to the Beanery and then to work, he told me last night.... 

Is my Mom still home? 

He looks over to the house, using his super vision. Martha's already gone. Cool. 

Clark throws on a black t-shirt. Black jeans. Black shoes. Sunglasses. He looks like a reject model from Milan. 

But this is no runway. 

This is destiny. 

* * *

8:59 

Lex makes his way into the Western Union branch inside Smallville Civic Centre. The lady smiles. Lex hands her the message to send. Telegram.  
The agreed upon method of contact. 

**"IZ....PLAN A IS IN MOTION...IF NO TELEGRAM B4 4-15 GO INTO PLAN C.K....I HOPE YOU ARE WELL...SAY HELLO TO PIERRE...."**

Lex pays the lady and goes out of Civic Centre onto Grand Avenue Plaza. The day is brilliant. Flowers are blooming everywhere. The fountains in the median and at the Memorial Circle are on for the first time since fall. 

The city seems so much bigger than it really is. So sophisticated. Urbane. Lex Luthor in Smallville. Years ago the idea would have made him sick. 

Now it feels like home. 

Looking down Grand, Lex sees the First of Metropolis Tower. The top of it is still lost in mist. 

He breathes deeply, gathering his strength. 

Clark is in the underground garage. Everything is a go. The timers are set for one hour. 

In Metropolis, the 81st floor helipad is readied for Lionel Luthor's departure. At the last minute, the call comes from Suite 666, Lionel's floor... 

"Mr. Luthor has decided his presence is not needed in Smallville. He has decided Dominic Hardwick can handle the arrangements..." 

"That's fine, Joe...they are having awful breezes, gale force winds from the southeast out that way. The weather's gone nuts in Smallville. I feel safer staying in Metropolis today..." 

Check Mate. 

Tesmacher's is nearly empty as Martha picks up her book. 

Jonathan is driving into Smallville to go by the Co-op. He thinks it would be nice to have an early lunch with Lex. 

Clark is crouched in the underground garage, trying his damnedest to get a x-ray look into the Vault above him. Little does Clark know, that vault is lined with six inches of solid lead. 

Lex nervously sips coffee at the Garden Cafe in the lobby of the Tower. Not many people around today he notices. 

* * *

9:39 

Lex sips. Clark strains his eyes.  
Martha smiles at Mr. Kennedy, owner of Kennedy's Kitties. Jonathan is stuck in awful traffic on the Eastern Parkway. 

The fog finally lifts from the crown of the Tower 

* * *

9:45

There's Loew. Moron. Lex has slipped pistol into his pocket. 

"Good morning, Lexy." Tanned, smug bastard. Oh-so-obvious cocaine nose job. Reeks of overpriced cologne. 

"Hey there, Loew." 

They shake hands. 

"I want you to meet Lee Vanderbilt, president of Smallville division, First of Metropolis. His office is there, behind the vault." 

"Let's ride, Loew." 

They enter the vault. Inside, even Lex is taken aback with the amazing display of LuthorCorp. Security notes. Lionel has been dumping money here. 

Hiding it. 

He tries to take in as much as possible. 

"Hello, Mr. Luthor. Haven't see you in a while." 

"Cut the small talk, Lee. What would you like to talk about?" 

"Bringing your father down. If we don't do something soon, Lex, he is going to destroy this bank. One hundred thirty years of trust with our customers. The board in Metropolis is scared of him. But they don't know about all this..." 

Produces thick dossier file. Inside, Lex flips through page after page of illegal money transfers. LuthorCorp is already bankrupt on paper. 

"Lee...listen...I know a way we can save the bank and bring down my father..." 

"I'm all ears, Lex.." 

"Me too, Lexy...." 

Both Vanderbilt and Lex glare at Loew. 

Loew backs away. He knows he's the odd man out...Still... 

"Don't forget, Lexy...I've got your boy's number." 

Lex smirks.  
Evil.  
Cold. 

* * *

9:49 

Jonathan is still stuck in traffic. Downtown looms in the now-clear sunlight. Damn, I never thought Smallville would become a city. 

* * *

9:51 

Clark sprints up the fire stairs towards the roof. So what if he couldn't see in the vault. So long as Lionel was there. Must've arrived by limo. Probably in there eating eggs and drinking champagne. Well, get ready, bastard....you're about to meet your maker. You hurt my Lex.  
And now you will die.  
Clark reaches the roof. 

He floats.  
Controls it.  
Controlled floating equals flying.  
Clark Kent can fly.  
He wants to watch this from above. Watch Lionel's empire crush him. It's so much fun.  
It's so damn cool.  
He wishes Lex were here, in his arms, to watch the magnificent show. 

* * *

9:52 

Lex and Vanderbilt start to look for specific details they can use to approach both LuthorCorp investors and FirstMetropolis board members to bring Lionel down. Loew looks nervous. Edgy. Suspicious. 

Suddenly, Dominic Hardwick enters. Smirking. 

Lex tenses up, puts his hand over his pocket. Vanderbilt moves forward-- 

"I'm sorry Mr. Hardwick, this is private meeting." 

"Fuck you, Lee....Lionel is not happy with you turning traitor..." 

"I'm trying my best to protect this bank from default. We have over ten million customers. Years of loyal service. I will not let Lionel or you bring this bank down." 

"Fine." Dominic produces a gun. A big gun. 

Vanderbilt freezes. Looks at Loew, who has moved into position behind Dominic. 

"What kind of man are you?" Vanderbilt asks incredulously. 

"The man who will take the reins from Lionel Luthor. Your reaper, you fool. Your master. Your death call.." 

Lex, standing next to Vanderbilt, whips out his pistol, jumping in front of Vanderbilt. 

"O.K. Corral Time, bitch." Lex's eyes are cold as steel. Dominic helped to ruin him as much as his father did. 

"Oh yes, Sexy Lexy....I've been waiting for this. I marked you years ago...planted my sister in your bed, befriended you, fucked you, manipulated you....all to take your place..." 

Lex takes all this in, his resolve unbroken. 

"I know, Dominic. You're fucking evil, just like him." 

"Yes, I am. But at least I don't rape little boys. Was it good Lexy? Better than we were? I bet...he's one hot piece of extraterrestrial ass....." 

"What did you say?" 

"Your alien....your outer space bitch....we know Lexy...we know...we almost have figured out where he came from...soon, he'll be at S.T.A.R. and we're gonna dissect him...." Laughs evilly. "See this, Lexy..." pulls a file from his case..."This is the true story of Clark Kent....little alien lost, Farmboy Lolita, future exhibit at the Lionel Luthor Museum of Science! Ha, ha, ha...you can't save him, you fool!" 

* * *

9:55 

Martha Kent is at the teller booth. Just by chance, she peers into the gigantic vault. That can't be Lex Luthor....can it? 

"Excuse me," she asks Brenda the Teller...."Do you know if Mr. Lex Luthor had a meeting here this morning..." 

"Yes ma'am...with Mr. Vanderbilt, president of this branch." 

"Thank you..." She is shaken...looks back into vault. That bastard Dominic Hardwick is there too...What is he doing here? 

Cell phone ring almost gives her a stroke. She calms down, presses "ON." 

"Hello." 

"Babe...it's Jonathan..where are ya?" 

"Jonny...I'm at the First of Metropolis bank, main branch...in the Tower...something strange is happening...." 

Concern floods his voice..."What's wrong, Martha?" 

"Lex is here. In the vault. With Dominic, Lionel's henchman. And someone else I don't know." 

"I was just on my way to the Co-op. I was going to have an early lunch with Lex, check the farm prices." 

"Honey...don't go to Co-op...please come here, now....I think Lex is in trouble. Something feels horribly off..." 

"I'm almost downtown....give me seven or eight minutes." 

"OK, Jonathan...I love you." 

"Always, Martha...I'm so glad Clark's at school." 

"Oh, yes. Otherwise he's be over here...I don't want him near anymore danger..." 

"Me neither, kiddo...I'll see you in a few...be careful..." 

Connection crashes. 

Martha looks to vault. For just a moment she hesitates. 

Lex is part of the family now.  
Lex needs me.  
Something is wrong. 

Martha slowly walks towards the vault. There is a small marbled staircase leading from the main banking floor down into the multi-level depository. 

Martha is at the third step-- 

* * *

9:59 

Clark hovers over the pinnacle of the tower, grinning and anticipating. Lex and Dominic fire their guns.  
The bombs...oh, the bombs.... 

Bomb one...the basement.... 

Bomb two...behind the vault... 

Bomb three...the roof.... 

Basement is enveloped in black smoke. Levels four and five pancake one another. Sixteen people are crushed instantly as the concrete pillars fall onto one another. Fire erupts in the sub-basement.  
Upstairs it is panic. Tenants begin to wail and scream as the black smoke races floor-to-floor, snuffing out all life. The sprinkler system cuts on. Backfires, starting electrical conflagrations. Oxygen system starts to pour fresh air into lobby, atrium, corridors...but 

Bomb two hits.... 

The vault literally turns on its side. Gold bars fall to ground. Martha is thrown down the stairs, lands underneath Vanderbilt's mahogany desk. Martha cries out as she sees, through the dust, Lex staggering towards her, blood dripping and dripping.... 

"Lex!" 

He sees her and collapses a few feet in front of the desk. The smoke is getting thicker. Martha crawls out from under the desk and pulls Lex back under it. Protection. Lex had a file in his hands...he pushes it at Martha, forcing it into her hands, babbling 

"He's s-s-s--s-afe, now....h-h-e's safe...." Tries to smile at her. Trembles. 

Oh, no. 

Gaping hole in his chest. Breathing ragged. Martha rips off her sweater and tries to sop up the blood, make some kind of tight bandage. Places her fingers into the wound; literally feels his heart.... 

It's still beating....oh, god...Clark, Jonathan...somebody.... 

The building is on fire. Floors twenty to thirty are unreachable. The elevators are jammed. On the street below it is madness and hysteria. 

Thousands of citizens try to get closer to see the Tower as it destructs. Soon, however, glass begins to pop from the exterior. Granite panels begin to fall to Grand Plaza below. 

The crowd moans collectively. All those people. All those people trapped in there. A collective prayer goes out to a silent, uncaring God. 

* * *

10:04  
Clark can't see anything.  
Too much fucking dust.  
Flies down to the roof.   
Fire all around him. Hears the roar of the building buckling beneath him. Grins.  
Smiles.  
All for you, Lex.  
All for you. 

The third bomb finally goes off. 

* * *

10:06  
The building loses all power. The building literally seems to jump off the ground with the blast from the third plastique surprise. 

Emergency systems, save the sprinklers, are all inoperable. The Building's command center is useless. Besides, all the security staff who were assembled there are dead, crushed as the western facade of the building fell inward. 

Everything is unhinged. Everything is cracked. 

Martha screams for help. How will they ever get out of here? She and a bleeding, dying Lex are trapped alive, buried in a steel and lead vault. The marble staircase is gone. For a moment, Martha considers trying to drag Lex over to the north door but then.... 

The entire glass and steel roof of the palatial atrium cracks and collapses onto the former lobby and bank office. Martha turns both herself and Lex's motionless body towards the steel wall behind them. She feels hot glass hit her back, but luckily, feels no deep cuts. 

They are covered in shards, pieces, and slivers of heavy stained glass. It's as if a rainbow has fallen from the sky. 

Martha looks in her purse...she has a bottle of water she carries, always, out of habit. She tries to force Lex to drink some. He is shaking. Her fingers soaked in his blood. 

His eyes open.  
He is scared.  
He begins to weep. Softly. Resigned. 

"Mr--Mrs. k-k-k...kent?" 

"Yes, baby, it's Martha...don't talk...stay still...there's been some kind of explosion....please don't talk.." 

His breathing is horridly ragged and raspy. Martha doesn't know much about gunshot wounds. She remembers you are supposed to keep them awake. 

"Keep talking....please...I'm stupid Lex, I was wrong....please talk to me..." 

"Ma-ma....Martha....I..I...b-b-b-urn that file....burn it...p-p-protect Clark...they w-w-will cut him....Uhhhhh." 

Eyes are bloodshot. Rolled back in head. Moans in pain and horror. 

"Stay with me Lex....please honey...just hold on...someone will find us..." 

Delirious. "F-F-F-find us? Whhhheree are w-w-e...? 

"In the vault...just stay awake honey, don't think about anything else." 

The building lurches again, as the vault levels sink onto the garage. The bodies of Dominic Hardwick, Lee Vanderbilt, and Carrington Loew are revealed. Crushed under debris. Carrington has a shot to the head. 

Martha stops herself from vomiting. Blood is spurting out of him. She strokes his clammy face with her free hand. 

Hold on baby.  
Hold on.  
Clark will find us.  
Clark will find us. 

Martha screams into the cold, dark, shattered world. 

* * *

10:10 

Jonathan runs towards the tower. Just as he was pulling onto Locust from Grant the top of the building vanished in a plume of smoke. Terrorists? In Smallville? Couldn't be, could it? 

MARTHA. Oh God, please protect her. LEX. 

There was still so much confusion in the plaza and with flames shooting out from the upper floors, the police hadn't had time to set up a system of barricades. Jonathan sprinted through the crowd, jumping over glass and bodies, and granite and hundred dollar bills. He found what had been the revolving doors. Debris everywhere. The entire atrium was gone. Ten-stories of open space had crushed on itself. 

Hot wires were everywhere. The sprinklers were turning this place into a death trap. But Jonathan till had his football skills. His agility. 

He bounded through the ruined garden, reaching what had been the entrance to the banking hall. There, at the front door, lay Brenda the Teller and several others. Asphyxiated. Cut to death by blowing glass... 

**MARTHA! LEX!**

Martha heard her husband, faintly. 

**JON! DOWN HERE! DOWN HERE...FAR SIDE OF THE VAULT!**

**I HEAR YOU BABE...GIVE ME A FEW MINUTES**

**KEEP TALKING!**

Lex was shaking violently.  
"C-l-lark...CClark!"...he began to scream...,seizures wracking his pale frame. 

"Stop, Lex...don't strain yourself..." 

Lex sat up, adrenaline rushing over him.. 

"CLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRKKKKKKK....Saaaaaaaaaaaaavvvvvvveeeeeeee meeeeeeeeee..." 

Lex's throat made a horrible gurgling sound and he began vomiting blood. He shook. Martha tried to hold him still, calm him. 

Through the blood he mumbled... 

Clark baby Clark Clark I cant breathe its hot and pink and Clark i can't see you Clark Clark Clark all I can see is red Clark it's filling up...CLARK. Oh Clark I'm gonna fly....like you always told me I would....I'm gonna fly...just like you Clark...I protected you...like I promised....No one will hurt you now baby....Oh, please...don't make me leave...no...we're meant to be...it's so warm...and it's blue...and there's peace, Clark...you're safe, baby...I made sure..... 

Begins to choke on own blood.  
What an awful way to go?  
At least I protected Clark.  
Martha screams for Jonathan to hurry.  
Screams for anyone to save Lex.  
Lex tries to hold on. 

It's filling up, Clark. I'm drowning. 

* * *

Just a few dozen feet away, Clark was bored. He had tired of the mob scene in the plaza, the fires above. He was still trying to understand why he couldn't see through the vault walls. 

Then he heard the cry. 

Lex?  
Mom?  
Oh my God!  
Lex? 

**OH MY MOTHERFUCKING GOD?**  
 **NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!** **NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!**

Clark's scream was heard all the way to Gotham City, to Moscow. 

Jonathan knew that voice. 

"Clark, son...is that you? I'm here, son...in the banking hall, by the stairs...if you can get here to help me...try....your mother and Lex are trapped below...." 

Clark was already digging as soon as he heard "Mom and Lex" 

What had he done?  
Why hadn't he made sure no one was around? Why had he grown so careless?  
So fucking malicious? 

What if he had murdered his mother?  
What if he had killed his baby, his Lex? 

Clark dug with the strength of one thousand men. Dug. And cried and cried and motherfucking cried. 

He heard his Mother. She was still screaming out for help. 

Thank goodness. 

He kept digging. There was the lead lining. He broke through it and put his x-ray on overdrive. He saw his Dad on the other side of the rubble, digging in, piece by piece. 

There, about twenty feet directly ahead, was his mother. 

Hunched over something.  
Someone. 

Weeping so hard.  
She looked like she was breaking. 

What's wrong, Mom?   
I'm here. 

Martha wailed in misery, her hands in her hair...tears flowing. Clark finally broke through the last of the steel, pushing the last piece out of the way....revealing..... 

Lex Luthor, dead, beneath his mother. 

Her hands soaked in blood.  
She just looked at him. With love.  
She took his hand in hers. He pressed it to his face.... 

No words were needed.  
Martha backed away, weeping. Knowing Clark would try everything. 

Knowing, deep inside, everything wasn't enough. 

Lex cold.  
Lex still.  
Clark planted his mouth to Lex's frozen lips. Nothing.  
Clark x-rayed his chest. Lungs filled with blood, completely. His heart cold, bullet in the left ventricle. He tried to force air into Lex's lungs. Tried to suck the blood out. But it was all over.  
Lex was dead. 

Clark lay down beside Lex and wrapped his arms around him. Blood like water....holding them in a pool of love. Lex's eyes were closed, his face calm. His hands clenched into little fists. Go out strong, Luthor.  
Will to power. 

Clark unfurled Lex's fingers and put his small hand inside his. Clark snuggled closer to Lex. 

"I tried Lex. I love you. I still won't ever let you go." 

Jonathan, having finally broken through the debris, is horrified by the tragic scene. His mouth falls open in agony. 

Martha runs to him, holding him and screaming aloud. The cries of a woman who has seen the end of the world. 

Clark cries out as well, drenched in Lex's blood. 

Draped over, under, around his lifeless body. 

Clark kisses Lex's red lips. 

Sunlight pours through the broken skylight. It creates rainbow patterns with shattered glass. 

A Love Like This Will Not Be Seen Again. 

Lex Luthor ascends. 

**END**

of "Double Ascension" 

Clark's story will continue... 


End file.
